Writing is a communication medium for humans; it is a way in which a person writes in different languages, numbers and symbols to communicate details, thoughts or anything else through the written mode of communication.
Author and writer are the two different titles given to persons who write. These terms refer to different types of writing persons and have different definitions but are used interchangeably.
An author is a person who tries to convey his ideas and thoughts through writing, while a writer is a person who writes any literary piece, but the idea is not necessarily his own.
Key Takeaways
- An author has written and published a book or multiple books, while a writer can refer to anyone who writes, regardless of whether they have published any books.
- Authors write longer works like novels, while writers can work in various formats such as journalism, advertising, or screenwriting.
- The term “author” can carry more prestige than “writer,” as it implies that the person has achieved a certain level of success in the literary world.
Author vs Writer
The difference between an author and a writer is that an author is a person who creates his ideas and draws his plot, and writes about it; the work of an author is always copyrighted; a person becomes an author only when his work gets published,
On the other hand, a writer is a person who writes articles, books, magazines, news articles, etc., but his work does not have a copyright in his name, the work of a writer is not necessarily published.
Comparison Table
| Parameter of Comparison | Author | Writer |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | An author is a person who writes an article, a book or a document based on his originally drafted ideas and plots. | A writer is a person who writes articles, drafts, documents, news, magazines or any literary piece but not necessarily on his ideas. |
| Origin | The word author came into existence in the 14th century from the Latin word ‘Auctour’, which means author in Latin. | The word writer has its origin before the 12th century. However, the current definition of writer originated in 1837 from the word ‘Writere’ in old English. |
| Required Skills | A person becomes an author only when his work gets published; a person requires a specific set of skills to become an author. | There are no criteria for when a person becomes a writer, but it can be said that the person becomes a writer the moment he or she starts writing; a writer requires the skills suitable for his job. |
| Nature of work | An author’s focus is to develop plots and ideas and narrate stories based on them; their works are always unique. | The main focus of a writer is to develop the content required in his job; a writer’s work is not necessarily unique. |
| Publishing and copyright | An author’s works are always published with his name, and the published work has the author’s copyright. | The works of a writer are not necessarily published since many people or writers keep their writing to themselves only. Still, the works of writers are not necessarily their copyright work. |
What is an Author?
An author is the creator of original works based on his ideas. A person becomes an author when his work gets published, and specific skills are required to become an author. The published works have the author’s copyright.
Authors become popular because they put great effort into drafting ideas.
Some famous authors include Jane Austen, Arthur Conan Doyle, Victor Hugo, William Shakespeare, Sidney Sheldon, J K Rowling, Leo Tolstoy, EL James, etc.
What is a Writer?
A writer is a person who writes. In other words, a writer writes articles, stories, books, reports, documents, scripts, songs or any literary work, but the idea behind his works is not necessarily his own.
The word writer originated before the 12th century from the old English word writers, which means writer.
A writer has his writing style, and he may write in various genres. A person becomes a writer as soon as he starts writing; the writing can be personal or professional. A writer focuses on writing anything that his job demands. The works of a writer are necessarily published.
A writer can be classified into the following categories- screenwriter, playwriter, story writer, speechwriter, critic, lyricist, etc.
Some famous writers include William Dalrymple, who used to write in the travel genre and as a journalist; Dorothy Sayers was a crime fiction writer but also worked as a critic and playwriter.
Main Differences Between Author and Writer
- The author and writer are both the persons who write. Specifically, an author writes articles, books or any other literary work based on his freshly drafted and unique ideas. At the same time, a writer writes literary works, but the idea doesn’t need to be his own.
- A person becomes an author only if his works are published, and there are no specific criteria for becoming a writer.
- A specific set of skills is required to become an author; however, a writer requires the skills necessary to do his job.
- The main focus of an author is to develop plots and ideas and narrate a story based on them; on the other hand, a writer focuses on developing and delivering his work as and when required in his job.
- An author’s works are always unique and different, while the works of a writer are not necessarily unique.
- An author’s works can be copyrighted in his name, while the works of a writer can not be copyrighted since the idea is not theirs.
- Becoming an author requires a good imagination and thought process, while no such thing is required to become a writer.
Last Updated : 11 June, 2023
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Emma Smith holds an MA degree in English from Irvine Valley College. She has been a Journalist since 2002, writing articles on the English language, Sports, and Law. Read more about me on her bio page.
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